Signal lantern



w. s. HAM M SIGNAL LANTERN Filed July 16. 1926 n" n I Z WQnZ J6 J9 ifElam? Z/jlcwv 3 mum Patented Feb. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES- PATENT orFIc 1 WILLIAM S. HAMM, OF'HUBBARD WOODS,ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR TO THE ADLAKIE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. iI

, SIGNAL LANTERN.

Application filed July 16,

The invention relates to lanterns used in the railway service andespecially by train and yard-men. While such lanterns are re-, quired inthe railway service for general illu mination, their especial use is inthe giving of signals for. controlling the movement of trains. In thehandling of the lantern in signaling, it is swungin various ways, isfrequently brought to a horizontal posit-ion and is sometimes actuallyinverted. It is subjected to winds of very high velocity especially whencarried on top of a freight train which is running against a head wind,and among the most trying conditions are those due to themovem'ents ofthe user, when jumping down from a car and running alongside of thetrack. It is, of course,es sential that the light be-dependable and itsfailures must be reduced to thelowest pos" sible number. Thediiiiculties. in organizing a lantern for this service have beenincreased by the. recent adoption of a light fuel such as keroseneinstead of the heavier so-called signal oil which had been employed formany years. In the burning of kerosene, a copious supply of air isrequired yet the flame is very sensitive and must be protected againsttoo violent air currents and from a reversal of the currents, which maybe set up from a variety of causes and which tends to smother the flamenot only by cutting oif the supply of oxygen but preventing the vaporsof combustion from, being carried away from the burner. v

7 It is further important that the structure be simple, forthe purposeof keeping its cost as low as possible and for the further purpose ofconvenience in its care.

The objects of the present invention are to improve the bottomventilation of such lanterns with view to provide an adequate supply ofair to the burner while preventing its delivery in violent and flamedisturbing currents, and furthermore to counteract the tendency to areversal of current especially when the lantern is subjected to violentj arring as when the user jumps from the car to the ground, and tocounteract what seems to be a pumping action produced by the up and downmotion of the lantern as the user runs with it on the ground or on topof the train.

A further object is to simplify the lower portion of the lanternstructure, reducing 1926. Serial No. 122,882.

the number of partsof whichitis composed and conducing tosimplicity ofassembly.

These objects are obtained by, and themvention consists in the structurehereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich Y 1 Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lantern, partly in sectionand with some parts broken away, and v I V m Fig. 2 is a detail sectionon line 22,of Fig. 1 some of the parts being omitted.

The lantern comprises the usual guard frame lopreferably of wire, aso-calledbase ring 11, and oil font 12, seated within the base ring, andglobe 13, seated uponthe base ring, and dome 14:, and aglobe holder .15carried within the dome and spring-pressed downwardly against the top ofthe globe.

The globe holder is of any desirable form such as that shown in the Hamm&, Schuetz Patent, No. 1,415,633 of May 9, 1922. The upper part of thelantern will, of course be provided-with suitable ventilating ports andn with a bale by-which it may be carried, but as the present inventionis not concerned with these features of the lantern, they have beenomitted fromthe drawings. i 1

The lower 'porton of the-base ring 11, is, as usual,iofsuch'diameter asto receive the font '12. Its upper portion 16 is offset outwardly toprovide a passage 17 for air en- 'te'ring induction ports 18 and 19.fThe side wall of the font 12 is continued upwardly beyond the top 20 ofthe font as shown at 21, and is flanged outwardly as shown at 22 toprovide a seat for the globe 13.) Beyond the seat 22, the ring isflanged upwardly, as shown at 23, toenclose the lower portion of-theglobe and at the uppermargin of this latter flange, to rest upon andenclose the upper margin of the section 16 of the base ring.

, Thetop plate 20' of the font is permanently secured within its sidewall, as by crimping the latter as shown and'the joint may be sealedwithsolder. The burner 25 is preferably seated within the top plate of thefont by a slip joint and there is present the usual wick raising spindle26 extending to the exterior of the base ring.

The upstanding flange 21 of the side wall of the font is provided withports 27, preferably arranged as an annular series and it is overturnedas vshown at 24c are disposed entirely above the top 20 of the font toprovide for the uninterrupted admission of air currents and direct themtoward the burner.

The font 20 is seated suspended within the lower or contracted portionof the base ring 11 and is stayed at its upper end by engagement of theflanges 23 and 24, with the upper margin of this ring, with which itisheld in engagement by the downward.

pressure of-a spring within the dome, ex-

erted thru the globe 13. The parts are easily assembled by swingingbackwardly the dome guished by the jumping and runnin of the user, abovementioned. This trou le has been overcome inthe present invention bygiving the shoulder 28, which unites the upper and lower sections of thebase ring, the form of undercut, the upper section 16 of the base ringextending slightly below the top of the lower section thereof. 'Whilethe shoulder 28 is shown as straightin cross section, this configurationis not essential. The induction ports 19 in the shoulder 28 may be asnumerous and of such capacity as will be best suitable to the admissionof an adequate air supply while guarding against violent wind currents.It is believed, though the theory of the action which takes place may bea mistaken one, that the rapid vertical movement of the lantern when theuser is runnin induces a reversal of currents within the body ofthelantern by the rapid movement of air currents across the ports 18 andpast the lower marginof the upper'section 16 of the base ring. It isfurther thought that a similar inductive action'is set up by strong windcurrents across the ports 19 when the shoulder 28 is flat. It is thoughtthat the undercut'form of shoulder herein shown results in an eddyingaction whether the external air currents be vertical or 1101-1;

zontal, causing an inflow'of air thru the ports 19 under allcircumstances. By supporting the font upon the upper margin of the basering and holding it to this seat by base ring, and a font within thering and having an outstanding flange forming a globe seat and looselyseated upon the upper portionof the base ring. 7

2. In a signal lantern, in combination, a base ring, and a font withinthe ring and having an outstanding flange forming a globe seat andspring seated upon the upper margin of the base ring. V

3. In a. signal lantern, a font, a ported base ring, inclosing,extending above and spaced from the font tofform therewith an airchamber, the side wall of the fon'tbeing extended upwardly and portedand having at the upper end of such extension an outstanding flangeforming a globe seat and resting upon the upper margin of the ring.

4. In a signal lantern, a base ring the upper portion of which is ofgreater diameter. than its lower portion, the 'adjacent margins of thetwo portions overlapping and a ported web connecting such two portionsand being 7 connected with the lower portion above the lower margin ofthe upper portion.

5. 'In a signal lantern, in combination, a base ring, a font seatingwithin the ring, the upper portion of the ring being ofl'set outwardlyto inclose with t he font wall, an air chamber, the web connecting. thelower and upper portions of the ring being ported and upwardly offset,-the side wall of the font being prolonged beyond its top and ported andat its upper margin flanged outwardly to form a globe seat and to engagethe upper margin of the ring. v

6. In a signal lantern, having a base ring, a font housed within thebase ring, a globe and a dome, a globe seat carrying the font andresting upon the base ring and a spring within the dome urging theglobe'down wardly upon its seat.

I. In a signal lantern, in combination, a

base ring, and afont suspended within the ring by a flange seated uponan upwardly facing portion thereof, andmeans pressing the flange to suchseat. In testimony whereof I aflix'my signature;

WILLIAM s. HAMM.

